Holland to have largest temple outside India

A Hindu temple, claimed to be the largest outside India, will be constructed in Holland at an estimated cost of Rs 420 crore.

The Maa Chandi Foundation has undertaken the task of erecting the mandir in the province of Zuid-Holland. "We are currently negotiating with several municipalities on the location of the temple," said a spokesman of the foundation.

"We prefer a location between Rotterdam and The Hague," the spokesman told the Netherlands news agency ANP.

The 75-million euros will be raised chiefly through large-scale events organised in Amsterdam Arena, home ground for Amsterdam football club Ajax.

According to the spokesman, "Hindus feel a strong need for a real mandir, a place where they can experience the original Hindu culture and true faith."

The spokesman said Dutch people also show 'a relatively great deal of interest in Hindu culture, which includes yoga, meditation, classical dance, knowledge, philosophy and traditional Eastern wisdom'.

About 14,000 Indians or people of Indian origin live in the Netherlands.